This is my true account of my experience with a despicable American firearm manufacturer.
On September 1st 2011 I purchased a NIB Marlin 1895GBL levergun, chambered in 45/70, a caliber that I’ve always esteemed. I traded one very nice Beretta 92FS to complete the transaction, which for reasons to yet be explained, was a bad choice on my part.
After completing the transaction I took the firearm home, it was going to be used this year for Wisconsin’s bear season, then for both the Minnesota, and Wisconsin deer season’s. A week after taking it home it was made known to me that Marlin had actually been forced to close down all of it’s levergun operations due to extensive QC issues, apparently due to both poor training, and disgruntled employees.
I discovered this as my LGS had examined my specimen and found that the stock was poorly fitted, he advised me thusly, and then offered the further info regarding the closure. We fired the carbine to ensure that mechanically if it was sound, indeed it chambered and fired flawlessly. So I contacted Marlin firearms and explained to them in detail the nature of the defect, and that I was hoping to use the carbine for the upcoming bear season, they offerd to send me a call tag and I accepted. Fifteen(15)days later the call tag arrived in the mail! Despite this tardy response, I elected to send them back their firearm for repair.
Several weeks later I got the firearm back, it was just before the begining of the Minnesota deer season, sure enough the stock was replaced, it looked quite nice and was by all appearences properly fitted, though now it was missing finish from the portion of the barrel that had been in the vice. Nontheless I was prepared to accept, and use it, so I went out back with the intention of shooting it extensively, to ensure it’s function and become familiar with it’s level of accuracy.
Unfortunately it now refused to chamber a round, I tried it with several different flavors, it simply refused to go into battery with any of them, I gentled it off and on until I was satisfied that the bolt and extractor were now out of spec somehow. I re-contacted Marlin, again explaining the nature of the new defect, and I added in the loss of finish, as it was obvious and stood out. Once again they offered me the call tag, which I refused! I explained to them the need for speed, further I was now requesting an entirely new firearm as this one had proven itself as completely unfaithful in the very short time it had been in my possession. Instead I offered to overnight it to them at my expense, so that they could expidite the process, I was led to believe by the CSR that if I followed her instructions this would be possible, I followed them to a T!
Nine days later, as the Minnesota deer season was winding down I hadn’t heard a thing, so I called Marlin once again, I spent much of that time on hold before even being transferred to a live CSR, about twenty minutes in total before catching a live CSR. When I did get through it was very unsettling to discover that they had only just checked the firearm into their system, that very day, fully nine days after following their CSR’s instructions to a T, and overnighting them their defective carbine on my dime!
I was not happy, and I communicated this fact robustly, though as an adult, and without benefit of language. I was hung up on by the CSR! I immediately called them back and was once again placed on hold for just under twenty minutes, finally a CSR picked up and again the explanations were made, and expectations firmly communicated. This CSR assured me that he would replace the firearm immediately, he placed me on hold while he went in search of what was in their inventory(17-minutes), when he returned he now stated that they would like to replace my firearm except that they were no longer available at all because Marlin was no longer making them!:mad:
I demanded to speak to a supervisor, instead they took my number and promised that one would call me back later that day! No call came back! next day first thing, I re-contacted Marlin yet again, same process, including a twenty-four minute hold before getting a live body. This time I simply demanded my money back, the CSR was not what I’d call rude, he was simply unconcerned & disinterested in my experience with his company, though he stated he would get me my money back, did I have a reciept? Yes, I did, though at this point it dawned on me that the reciept only reflected the cash difference in the original transaction, a sum of only $242.00.
I explained this to the CSR, and unsurprisingly was told that that would be the total of my refund, unless I could muster an amended reciept from the retailer. So we parted company and I contacted the retailer, who said that he would have to search his records in order to establish a full value($689.00)of the transaction, a process that would take at least three weeks!
Again I called Marlin, another extended period waiting on hold, same conundrum, same everything. I again demanded a supervisor, explaining that I had never been contacted by one when requested the first time, again they promised, and again there was no call. I called back the next day, same procedure, finally a CSR promised me that within the hour a Supe would call me back. and one did!
I was very angry, and I let him know it, I explained the delay in obtaining an amended reciept and the rapidly approaching deer opener, I explained the original defect, and the follow up defect after they had returned my firearm the first time. I explained the CSR’s instructions for expiditing the process and the overnight shipping on my dime followed by the nine day delay in even checking the defective POS into their system, let alone that nobody had even attempted to contact me!
The supe now promised me that he had found a replacement rifle, the exact same configuration, the catch being that it would have to come to them from down south, creating a delay of at least three weeks!:blink: I refused, asking him why it would rsult in such a delay, he responded that they had to work it through their system. I offerd again to eat the shipping costs if they would overnight it, he said that he would cover them, but that it would still be three weeks.
At this point he offered that if I were to have it shipped to a dealer they could by-pass the shipping to Marlin altogether, greatly diminishing the delay, the catch being that I’d have to resubmit to the Brady check, he said I would likely have the rifle next week(Thanksgiving week), again I offered to pay expedited shipping costs, he refused, instead promising to overnight it on their dime.
The carbine was not delivered to my ffl on either Monday or Tuesday, prompting a new round of phone calls, I got through eventually to the supe’s office, a CSR checked into the progress and couldn’t for the life of her unearth any reference to the promised replacement carbine in their system, informing me that the supe was on vacation! As I type this out, the Wisconsin deer season has closed down for 2011!
I have greatly edited this down for brevity, it was believe me, far worse and more involved. I have had other truly creepy customer service treatment before, though this is the A#1, king of the hill, worst of them. I would hope that administration leaves it up for some time in an attempt to reach out and prevent some other poor chump from being so ill-treated by the “Freedom Group.”
I would add that a few years ago I had a G21SF blow up in my hands, it was quite an impressive experience all to itself. It was clearly established that the Kaboom was not the fault of Glock, but overcharged factory 230 gr ball ammo from PMC. Yet seventy-two hours after we figured out what had happened, Glock had delivered a new pistol to my door step…It’s my sincere hope & desire that Marlin ceases to exist, as it should…
